Browse News

Thursday, October 15, 2009

What To Do Tonight: Kylesa/Saviours

This is a must-see show if you like metal that’s big, ugly and adventurous. Oakland’s Saviours deal in thick guitar crunch on their new unhinged and dangerous album, Accelerated Living. A stoner-rock vibe rumbles in raging shit-kickers like “We Roam.” Album opener “Acid Hand” sounds like a rawk cover of Slayer’s “Hell Awaits” — from breakneck whammy-bar to a background bluster of demonic voices. And the band’s three-layer guitar harmonies are anything but harmonious. Meanwhile, Georgia’s Kylesa could be the next Mastodon. The co-ed quintet has been slugging around the underground for three albums, churning out proggy sludge-metal that was alternately nondescript and mildly interesting. But the jagged new Static Tensions is a quantum leap. On mid-tempo juggernauts like “Running Red,” guitarist and backing vocalist Laura Pleasants balances satanic riffing with psychedelic flourishes and moving supernatural melodies. Even the metal-averse Pitchfork said the band deserves to be a household word. It’s a tricky one to pronounce, though: It’s “KAL-ess-a,” not “kyle-saw.” Red Fang and Lionize open at 8 p.m. at the Grog Shop (2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Hts., 216.321.5588, grogshop.gs). Tickets: $12 in advance, $14 day of show. — D.X. Ferris